How to Get FREE College, Work Experience and Adventure at 18
The US military offers thousands of exciting jobs, with training and real experience. Sign up for 3 years and boom – FREE college, Veteran status for life and an impressive resume.
OK Moms, stop worrying, your little boy or girl is all grown up and wants to learn about the world. Don’t hold them back because they might get dirty or miss the annual family vacation. I promise, they will make you very proud!
Capital Budget Strategies, LLC, is also proud that Austin’s Best Financial Coach, is a veteran of the US Army. Two weeks after high school graduation, he entered basic training to become an Infantryman.
Within three years of service, he had parachuted out of airplanes, rode in troop carrying and attack helicopters, paddled in an 8-man inflatable boat in the Florida swamps, became SCUBA qualified, learned to repel off cliffs and out of helicopters, drove and fired a tank’s main gun, fired live artillery and mortar rounds, shot M203 grenade launchers, mounted 50 caliber machine guns and shot “expert” with an M-16A1 rifle. He also learned to use a compass to navigate at night in the desert and in the mountains in winter. Became Airborne, Ranger and Air Assault qualified. Learned about weapons of mass destruction and how to decontaminate personnel and machinery. All this, plus supervising 30 Soldiers. Wow!
The Army then paid 100% of his college tuition, including room, books, food, uniforms and provided a monthly income. He completed a BS in Engineering and earned an MBA with zero debt, money in the bank and lots and lots of leadership experience.
Now imagine being the head of HR and a Veteran’s resume crosses your desk. Other resumes show Art History majors listing summer jobs lifeguarding at Barton Springs, a one-month nonpaid internship at a start-up that has since failed and a summer vacation to Brooklyn. While their resumes do show lack of experience and leadership, they do not list the $75,000 in school loans that will take years to pay off.
Suppose you want to be an Austin Fire Fighter. Most applicants have only the 12-week Fire Training Academy certificate. Imagine if you had the 6-month US Navy Firefighting Advanced Course Certificate, spent 2 years on an aircraft carrier sailing the world while working full time and gaining experience of advanced firefighting techniques? Plus, college and no school loans? One word: hired!
Want to be an Austin Police Officer? Think being a military police officer for 3 years at a military base in Germany, Italy, Spain or Washington, DC would be helpful? Yup! Plus, no school loans?
Interested in cyber security? The US Space Command will teach you about using satellites and top-secret computers to defend against aggressive actions by those countries wanting to disrupt our infrastructure. You will learn codes and techniques that will qualify you to apply to the CIA, NSA, Apple or Google.
Was it worth waiting 3 years to go to college? Grow up a bit, learn leadership and discipline and have goal after college? Yes, it certainly was!
Remember, the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Space Command and the Coast Guard have thousands of MOSs (military occupational specialties) to choose from – a very small percentage are Infantryman. Each MOS sends you to advanced training, provides real life experience and offers world-wide travel.
Some examples:
US Coast Guard: American’s Maritime First Responder! Become a Rescue Swimmer and jump out of a helicopter in SCUBA gear to save an injured passenger on a yacht in high seas, become a helicopter mechanic, ship engine repairman, pilot, attorney, cyberspace operator, weather station operator, crew member of an ice breaker in the North Pole or simply be a crew member on speed boats chasing drug smugglers in the Caribbean. Duty locations include: Boston, Miami, New Orleans, Seattle, Honolulu and Juneau plus many others.
US Navy: Jobs include helicopter and jet pilots, intelligence specialist, engine maintenance, medical personnel, computer surveillance, police officer, Navy Seals, boat driver and cooks.
US Air Force: Pilot of numerous types of aircraft, mechanics, flight crew on air craft carriers, air base security, law enforcement investigations, finance and payroll, drone operator, supply, air field firefighter and air field construction and repair.
Our Austin Money Coach has no regrets for not attending college 8 weeks out of high school. While his friends were talking about keggers and football games, he was parachuting in the middle of the night or learning to use a compass underwater.
Just think about that free college after only 3 years of service – WOW!
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